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The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

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boswellbaxter
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The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

Post by boswellbaxter » Fri August 21st, 2009, 3:39 am

Anyone up for discussing this one?
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Chatterbox
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Post by Chatterbox » Fri August 21st, 2009, 4:14 am

Wow, not only did Melusine make you buy it, but you're all ready to discuss it after only two days? I'm very impressed! I'll be back after the weekend to join the chitchat...

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Divia
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Post by Divia » Fri August 21st, 2009, 4:50 am

I should get my copy in the next two weeks or so. I hope its better than her last.
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Margaret
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Post by Margaret » Fri August 21st, 2009, 5:44 am

This is only the third PG novel I've read, after TOBG and The Queen's Fool, but it seemed to me like a very interesting departure from the others. I found it much more serious. Advance buzz about the magic Elizabeth and her mother practice made it sound like a fantasy novel, but it didn't seem to fit in that genre once I'd read it. Everything that happened seemed completely realistic - that is, it could have happened without the aid of magic (and probably did), except for the timing and the belief of Elizabeth and her mother that their folk rituals had brought about various events. In my interview with Gregory (posted on my blog - scroll down to the August 18 entry), she mentioned that she used modern witchcraft books in her research, which I thought was interesting.
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Misfit
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Post by Misfit » Fri August 21st, 2009, 11:26 am

I'm in. My copy should land at the hold shelf any day now. Have to finish The Lodestar first along with being side-tracked by the Savage novel.
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zsigandr
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Post by zsigandr » Fri August 21st, 2009, 12:03 pm

My copy of this one should be in at the library soon as well. I wasn't ready to buy it outright after the last PG book, but I think a group discussion would be fun!
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EC2
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Post by EC2 » Fri August 21st, 2009, 12:06 pm

I'm first at the library with this one. Going there next week. When I enquired at the end of July, the library wasn't even aware she had a new one coming out! So I was first on the list.
Les proz e les vassals
Souvent entre piez de chevals
Kar ja li coard n’I chasront

'The Brave and the valiant
Are always to be found between the hooves of horses
For never will cowards fall down there.'

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Susan
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Post by Susan » Fri August 21st, 2009, 12:47 pm

I started it yesterday and didn't get too far. Hopefully I'll get a whole bunch of reading done today, but we're getting Direct TV (satellite) installed today and I imagine we'll be playing with that quite a bit. I'm excited about getting BBC America. Anyway, yes, I would like to discuss it.
Last edited by Susan on Fri August 21st, 2009, 2:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Kasthu
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Post by Kasthu » Fri August 21st, 2009, 3:42 pm

I do know that a lot of people like this one, but I give it three stars. I thought that the water imagery got to be a bit too much after a while; and I'm really a Ricardian, so I wasn't totally pleased by Gregory's depiction of him (though, if the story's told from Elizabeth Woodville POV, I guess that's to be expected. What sometimes bothers me about Gregory's books is that, while she's really good at depicting the major events of whatever she's writing about, she doesn't really focus on the little things--how people lived their every day lives. Still, I thought the characters in this novel were a lot more fleshed out and interesting than those in The Other Queen (which I couldn't even finish).

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robinbird79
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Post by robinbird79 » Fri August 21st, 2009, 7:06 pm

I'm up for discussing this one. I finished it the day after I got it from the library. Not too bad but some things caused a raised eyebrow. A few of these I mentioned over on the R3 forums at Goodreads.

1. Elizabeth mentions at one point they're going to Nonsuch Palace. Um...not built yet.

2. I agree, the water imagery got really old after a while.

3. The constant repeating of how she's got Warwick and George's name in a locket and will get revenge. (I know its there...quit telling me about it)

4. The "curse" on whoever killed the Princes was certainly an intersting bit to add to the story, especially since Elizabeth of York was in on it.
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